Our journey of baby loss, recurrent miscarriage and TFMR, has altered things in my life far more than I ever could of imagined. When we first decided to try for a sibling in 2021 I was unbelievably naïve. I never thought I’d find myself here, talking about removing toxins to support fertility and wellness.
Back then my diet consisted mainly of caffeine, sugar and salt and the first time I’d seriously considered taking a vitamin was at the first midwife appointment at around 8 weeks. In the past I’d spoken to some of my make-up clients about using products without toxins, and in all honesty, I’d be internally eye rolling. Even when my best friends removed plastics from their day to day life back in 2020, I secretly thought they were being a bit OTT. But now I don’t. Now I’m controlling the controllable’s, and that includes eating better and removing toxins where and how I can.
Changing my eating habits
Entering 2022 I was probably following a low carb, low protein and high ‘famous slimming brand ready meal’ type diet. Then bingeing on chocolate and crisps come 4pm. Now, although I’m no angel (and still regularly indulge in a McDonalds drive through…) my diet is SO much healthier. I’ve been working on changing my eating habits and this is initially thanks to the wonderful Alison Hall (who I connected with during a TTC course with The Worst Girl Gang Ever) who gently introduced me to eating a rainbow, adding fruits, vegetables, pulses etc in rather than focusing on taking stuff out and the goal of eating well 80% of the time. Alongside this I’ve also tried my best to eat organic where I can, and financially, when I can.
Well, it’s been a game changer. My energy levels and my general wellbeing are much improved. But I’m no nutritionist (no sh*t I hear you cry!!) so go and follow my favourites and try this approach for yourself!
Alison Hall https://www.instagram.com/alisonhall_fertility/
Lisa Penny https://www.instagram.com/lisa.penny.fertilityism/
Learning to cook whilst removing toxins to support fertility and wellness
Back to toxins! For as far as I can remember I’ve reheated things in plastic. Whether it’s a plastic pan from Lakeland or those semi disposable takeaway boxes, I didn’t think too much of it. Until now, when I consciously made the switch to glass.
I invested in a three piece set from Pyrex, which are already well loved for casseroles, cooking peas and storing leftovers. Plus a small set from Amazon which I used for making and heating my morning overnight oats or porridge. Both simple, fairly inexpensive ways I’ve managed to cut down my plastic use.
You can purchased my Pyrex set here.
And my favourite glass containers here.
And on hob? This is somewhere I’ve made a very recent change! Thanks to a Black Friday sale, I invested in the Our Place Always Pan 2.0, which is made without potentially toxic materials like PFAS (including PTFEs and PFOAs), lead and cadmium. It’s been life changing. I’ve used it at least once a day and haven’t touched my other pans since. I’ve fried bacon, scrambled eggs, made a chilli, the lot! If money was no object I’d invest in an Always Pot too- maybe that’s one for Christmas 2025!
You can purchase the Always Pan 2.0 here- Ceramic Non Stick Pan | Best Multi Purpose Always Pan–Our Place – UK
Ridding the toxins within my beauty essentials
As a hair and make-up artist this one is HARD! I’m constantly exposed to products such as hairspray, and some of the best products (in terms of longevity and how well they photograph) aren’t very ‘clean’ at all.
The Yuka app has been my saviour, helping me quickly find the products I love using the most with the highest clean score. I’ve adapted my skincare to include some plant derived products from The Ordinary, complimented by moisturisers from Weleda and cleansers from Cetaphill.
The brand that’s made the changes to my daily beauty routine easier is Wild. Wild products contain natural ingredients and they are free of parabens, aluminium or sulphates. I switched to Wild in June 2024 and have invested in the deodorant, shower gel, shampoo and lip balm (plus the refills!) I’ve been so pleased with the range and even had my mum and work friends converted too!
Personally, I’ve found the subscription the most cost effective way to invest in Wild and it’s super easy to pause, skip and cancel- I’ve skipped a few times because the products have lasted longer than I expected!
If you want to try Wild they have kindly given me a 20% code for you to try it yourself. Simply add ‘FLICKS’ at checkout of your first purchase and click this link- Try Wild here.
Removing toxins around the house
This swap was possibly one of the easiest changes. One, because we have little storage and I’d been meaning to streamline our cleaning products for years and Two, because both my son and my husband hate strong smells in the house.
After some basic research, I decided to try Kit & Kin, who I’d first heard about via their nappies. How ironic. A brand I’d planned to be purchasing from regularly this year but my online basket looked different to how I expected.
Co-founded by Spice Girl, Emma Bunton, who struggled to find products which were both kind to the planet and didn’t irritate their children’s skin, Kit & Kin is a natural, gentle and sustainable alternative for families.
I’m now a firm convert to their Laundry Liquid, All purpose cleaner and Bathroom cleaner having purchased three times in the past year. I’ve also tried their washing up liquid- I was a fan, my husband not so much, so the jury’s out on that one. If you try it, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
You can purchase my Kit and Kin favourites here-
Kit and Kin All purpose cleaner
Removing toxins to support fertility and wellness
I hope you’ve found this post helpful. As mentioned, I’m in no way an expert or experienced in this way of life! I’m simply someone who is trying to make subtle adjustments by removing certain hormone disrupting products from my life, whilst learning how to nourish my body from within! I hope some of these things may help my fertility problems, but even if they don’t, I feel like I’ve made some vital lifestyle changes for my whole family.
I’d love to chat with you more on the topic, head over to my Instagram page here.
Sian x
Please note, some of the links in this blog are affiliate links. This doesn’t affect your shopping experience, but I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase. I have purchased all products mentioned myself and would never recommend a product I wouldn’t wholeheartedly invest in again. x
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